Mare Tuzla beats boys to give Canani hat trick

Published 4:00 am, Monday, April 26, 1999

ALBANY - Thanks to a rainstorm, trainer Julio Canani made history Sunday.

No, it didn't rain during the running of the $300,000 San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile at Golden Gate Fields.

But it did rain back on April 10, when Canani's grass-loving, 5-year-old mare Tuzla was scheduled to run in the Miss America Handicap here.

The Miss America was moved from the turf to the main track because of wet conditions.

So, rather than run Tuzla on the dirt (or mud) against the girls in a Grade III race, he decided to have her go against the boys - and a talented field of boys, at that - for the first time in her career, in the Grade II Breeders' Cup Mile.

Good decision.

Tuzla, who went off at 6-1, survived a slow start, swung around much of the 10-starter field on the second turn, and hung on grittily during a hot stretch duel to beat Poteen by a head.

She ran the mile distance in 1:34.46, paying $14.60, $6.20 and $4.

The victory put veteran Canani into the record books as the only three-time winner of this race. He had scored back-to-back triumphs with Patchy Groundfog in 1989 and Colway Rally in 1990.

Sharing the winner's mantle Sunday were jockey Brice Blanc - who was on Tuzla because Canani owed him a favor - and owner David Milch, co-creator of the TV police drama

"NYPD Blue."

Milch, a four-time Emmy winner, watched Tuzla win on a TV set at Hollywood Park, then reached Canani via cell phone in an interview room at Golden Gate Fields to offer compliments and a few breathless comments to the press.

Actually, Canani might not have chosen to enter the race if he hadn't gotten a weight break.

Tuzla was assigned only 112 pounds, second low in the field and seven less than high weight (and betting favorite) Lord Smith, who ran out of the money.

But Lord Smith had his chances, as did nearly every other horse in what proved to be a dandy race.

Rob 'n Gin, the New York import, ran very well, finishing third but only a neck behind Poteen. And Silic, who's also trained by Canani, was flying at the end - and might well have caught the field in another few strides.

But Tuzla, a French-bred female who had won nine of her 16 career starts coming in, earning $512,000, deserved to win.

"She's a very good miler," Canani said. "That's her best distance."

"When I asked her to go, she just took off," said Blanc, who also won the Mile in 1997 on Wavy Run. "She's got a really good kick. She really explodes. I wasn't worried about being that far back early in the race because I knew how she could accelerate. She was going really comfortably."

Canani put Blanc up rather than Tuzla's regular rider, Corey Nakatani (who was on Silic), because of something that happened April 17 at Santa Anita.

"I was supposed to ride Tranquility Lake for Julio, because he thought the weight would be 112 pounds or less," Blanc said. "But when it came out at 114, he used Eddie Delahoussaye instead."

"I owed Brice one," Canani said.

Blanc was grateful, but said after the race, "I'm not that special and I didn't have to do anything great. I just had the right horse today."

Several other jockeys almost got to say the same thing.

Delahoussaye, who was up on Poteen, said, "He ran a great race, especially for being off five months," and Jorge Chavez, who rode Rob 'n Gin, said, "My horse ran big. When I took the lead (briefly, in midstretch) I thought I was going to win, but then he got tired the last 50 yards."

As for Tuzla's future, Canani isn't sure he'll have her test males again.